Flood cat Harry tells his story to children

Children at Burnley Road Academy had a treat during a recent assembly, when Mytholmroyd artist and author Vanessa Guy shared her book Harry and the Flood.

The book is aimed at children and tells the story of Vanessa’s companion cat Harry and his journey through the Boxing Day floods in 2015.

Vanessa suffers from narcolepsy and may have slept through Mytholmroyd flood alarms had it not been for Harry. She said: “Harry helps me know what alarms are real or not in the house. He alerted me to the flooding by jumping on me.”

The story was read by Paula Sutherland, the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Project Manager, who provided fund hosting.

After the reading the children had the opportunity to ask Vanessa questions about the book and how it came to be published.

Harry and the Flood was pulished at the end of last year, close to the first anniversary of the flood. It was funded by Community Foundation for Calderdale, with 10p from the sale of every book going directly to Watermark flood resilience.

The book is currently on sale at Mytholmroyd Post Office, The Kitchen Coffee House, The Blue Teapot and Mytholmroyd Chemist.